Ichigo Kurosaki
Ichigo Kurosaki (黒崎 一護, Kurosaki Ichigo) is a Human who has Shinigami powers and is a Substitute Soul Reaper. Ichigo is the eldest daughter of Isshin and Masaki Kurosaki, and older sister of Karin and Yuzu Kurosaki. Currently she is the substitute shinigami stationed over Karakura Town and battles hollows with her Quincy girlfriend, Evony Weiß. Appearance Ichigo's most distinguishing feature is her long orange hair, a trait she has been ridiculed about for years on end. She is fairly tall for a girl and lean built with peach skin and brown eyes. She has a tendency to wear goth style clothes and studded cuffs around her wrists pattered with the number 15 because her name is a homonym for the number. Since becoming a shinigami she has become noticeably more muscular, as noticed by her sister Karin, to which Karin further ridicules her for looking too 'boyish.' When in her spiritual form, Ichigo wears the standard Shinigami attire, with the addition of a strap across her chest. Initially, it was a thick brown belt to hold her Zanpakutō sheath, but it later became a red rosary-like strap after awakening her own Shinigami powers. Ichigo's appearance has caused several people, including Jūshirō Ukitake, to note a strange similarity to Kaien Shiba, the former lieutenant of the 13th Division, even though she is a girl. After training in the Dangai, Ichigo's hair grows considerably, and she is noticeably taller, as stated by her friends. After Ichigo loses her Shinigami powers, her appearance reverts to the way it was before her Dangai training. Seventeen months after defeating Aizen, Ichigo's overall appearance does not change, but she becomes taller again and her hair grows to the length it was once more. After regaining her powers, seemingly caused by remaining energy from her Fullbring, Ichigo's Shinigami attire consists of a thicker strap across her chest. She has four black vertical lines on her forearms and black, tattoo-like bands crossing over her now ample breasts, wrists, and ankles. Similar bands, but with white ends, lie around her neck as choker collars. Personality When she was younger, Ichigo considered her mother to be the center of her world, always smiling when she was with Masaki and regularly holding her hand. Despite crying whenever she lost in a match at the dojo she attended, Ichigo started to smile again as soon as she saw Masaki when she came to pick her up. At a very young age, Ichigo heard her father saying her name means "to protect one thing," which instilled in her a desire to protect her mother. When her sisters were born, she began attending a dojo for the sake of protecting them. Since then, the number of people she wishes to protect has continued to grow, causing Ichigo to risk her life to protect both the people close to her, complete strangers, and her girlfriend. As a teenager, Ichigo is stubborn, short-tempered, strong-willed, and impulsive. Despite claiming not to care about what other people think about her, she attempts to maintain a detached and "cool" image. She generally keeps her face set in a near-permanent scowl, with her eyebrows drawn together. Her outspoken, hot-headed demeanor is a trait Ichigo herself has acknowledged, and if somebody picks a fight with her, she cannot help fighting back. She coldly refers to her teachers as "instructors". She is genuinely compassionate and empathetic towards others, promising to bring a Plus flowers and a toy plane, or soothing others when they become upset. Ichigo is a capable student, ranked 23rd in her year at school, who studies regularly and does not neglect her schoolwork. She works as hard as she does to overcome the misconceptions many have about her based on her hair color, gender, and the fact hat she fights all the time. Ichigo hates fortune telling, horoscopes, feng shui, psychics, and anyone whose trade involves taking money from people for things they cannot see. She has difficulty remembering people's faces and names. Ichigo becomes extremely shy and uncomfortable around nude or immodestly dressed women, a fact both Yoruichi Shihōin and Rangiku Matsumoto have teased her for since she's a girl. Ichigo is often disrespectful when talking to those older than herself, calling "gramps" and referring to several of the Shinigami captains by their given names without using honorifics. When it comes to fighting, Ichigo has a complex sense of honor; she regularly seeks to exact revenge for the cruel actions of her opponent, such as instilling the fear of being murdered in Shrieker and cutting off the right arm of Yammy Llargo in retaliation for him ripping Yasutora Sado's right arm off. She often taunts and belittles her opponents when fighting, sometimes attacking without warning. Ichigo has a strong desire to win her fights, but in what she views as a legitimate manner. To this end, she has often refused the aid of her inner Hollow, even when knowing it would allow her to win. Ichigo's resolve in battle can waver at times, which can impede her fighting prowess, and goes into a state of depression and self-loathing when she loses a major battle or lets a friend down. Ichigo despises those who mistreat their allies in any way, even if they are their own enemies. She was disgusted when Yammy calls Ulquiorra Cifer, Nnoitra Gilga, and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez "trash." History Ichigo was born on July 15th as the eldest daughter of Isshin Kurosaki and Masaki Kurosaki, 15 years before she became a Shinigami. Her sisters Karin Kurosaki and Yuzu Kurosaki were born a few years later. When she was four, Ichigo joined a karate dojo, where she met and befriended Tatsuki Arisawa. Though Tatsuki beat Ichigo in every match they had, she would help Ichigo if she was being picked on by bullies and cheer her up if she was upset. Ichigo was able to see Pluses for as long as she could remember. She could see them so clearly, as a child, she could not tell the living from the dead. This resulted in her appearing to other people to be looking at deserted places and talking to herself. This caused people to say she could see ghosts, though when Tatsuki asked her about this, she denied being able to see them. On June 17th, when Ichigo was nine years old, she and her mother were walking home alongside one of Karakura Town's rivers, which was swollen from heavy rain. Seeing a girl near the river, Ichigo thought she was about to jump into it. Unable to tell the difference between ghosts and living people, Ichigo ran towards her to stop her, unaware the girl was the lure of the Hollow Grand Fisher. Masaki tried to stop her, but she did not listen. After failing to grab hold of the girl, Ichigo lost consciousness for a time. When she awoke, Masaki was lying on top of her, covered in blood. Starting the day after Masaki's death, Ichigo repeatedly skipped school to go to the riverbank where Masaki died. Tatsuki found her there, where she would stay from morning until night, wandering along the bank as if searching for her mother, squatting down if she was tired and then wandering some more. One day, when Ichigo was twelve, prior to the Kurosaki Clinic opening, she heard the bell ring and answered the door to find a girl with her brother on her back. He had been in a car accident and was covered in blood. The clinic did not have the equipment necessary to save him, and he died before an ambulance arrived to transfer him to Karakura Hospital. Sometime later, she learned the girl was Orihime Inoue. Ichigo later entered Mashiba Junior High School. During this time, Ichigo finally defeated Tatsuki in a karate match, and had not had another match with her since. Ichigo regularly got into fights with thugs because she was a smart mouthed girl that the thugs always underestimated. During one of these fights, she received help from Yasutora Sado. Shortly after, Ichigo returned the favor when she rescued Sado from two gang members roughing him up. When the thugs later abducted Sado, Ichigo found them and knocked down their leader, Yokochini. Using Yokochini's phone to ring for an ambulance for each of the five thugs, she beat up all of them. After Sado was freed, they made a pact to protect and fight for each other despite their gender differences. Shortly before Ichigo became a Shinigami, she and Sado began attending Karakura High School, and their reputations preceded them. During a fight with a gang led by Reiichi Ōshima, Ichigo and Sado met Keigo Asano and Mizuiro Kojima, saving the former in the process. While Keigo was initially afraid of Ichigo and Sado, both he and Mizuiro later became friends with them. Ichigo later met Uryū Ishida, asking him why he chose to attend Karakura and not a gifted school, as he would have thought that Uryū would want to follow in his father's footsteps and become a doctor. However, Uryū replied that he had no desire to become one. Equipment * Substitute Shinigami Badge, (代行証 死神代行,'' Daikōshō Shinigami Daikō''): Given to Ichigo by Ukitake before leaving Soul Society for the first time, the pendant she commonly carries on her belt signifies her position as a Substitute Shinigami, allowing her to remain active in the Human World. The pendant gives Ichigo the ability to separate her soul from her body in the absence of Rukia's glove or Kon. It alerts her to the presence of Hollows in Karakura Town, much like Rukia's Denreishinki. Ukitake informs Ichigo the badge can also be dangerous, and thus it has built-in protection making it invisible to normal Humans. Zennosuke Kurumadani tells Ichigo he has never heard of this "Seal of Approval", causing Ichigo to refer to it as useless before Shinji's arrival. When Ichigo loses her powers, all of the mentioned abilities of the badge are lost as well. Kūgo Ginjō tells Ichigo the true purpose of the badge is to observe and restrict the owner. It is at once a surveillance device for Soul Society and a device to absorb, analyze, and control the user's Reiatsu. It is also a device for communicating with Soul Society, as Ichigo could hear Rukia's voice coming from it. As the badge absorbed and stored Ichigo's Reiatsu, Ichigo used it as her Fullbring focus. * Protective Charm: A Kidō-based charm given to her by her father. If the owner is attacked by hostile forces, it acts as a defense by forming a barrier, as displayed when Kon (while in Ichigo's body) was attacked by the Arrancar Grand Fisher. Ichigo was unaware of the charm's power, and was told it once belonged to her mother. The latter is proven to be a lie, as Isshin later reveals he created the charm recently. Powers & Abilities Natural Abilities Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Physically, Ichigo's Human body is in top form. Ichigo has been trained in martial arts since she was a small child, both professionally and by her father. She has repeatedly shown great agility and coordination in her attacks. In addition to having powerful kicks and punches, Ichigo is proficient in counterattacks, takedowns, and body locks. She has repeatedly caught an opponent's weapon strikes with a single hand. She effortlessly defeats multiple bullies and gangsters on a regular basis, and is a better martial artist than Tatsuki Arisawa, who is ranked the second strongest girl in all of Japan despite her fighting with a broken arm. Combined with her speed, she effortlessly knocked out three lieutenants in rapid succession, while bare-handed, with a single strike each before the first lieutenant even touched the ground. While she has stopped training, constant attacks from bullies and her father keep her skills fresh. Enhanced Strength: Even while not in her Shinigami form, Ichigo is deceptively strong, smashing a man's head through a concrete road with a single kick, and later kicking Renji Abarai from her bedroom window and onto the street from being teased about how feminine she should be. Enhanced Speed & Reflexes: Even before learning Shunpo, Ichigo is a very fast and agile fighter. Ichigo possesses great reflexes, dodging a strike with no wasted effort and immediately counterattacking. She can strike quickly, without warning, and in rapid succession. Her speed allows her to follow the movements of faster opponents to better analyze their movements, and block otherwise fatal strikes. Enhanced Durability: While only a teenage Human, Ichigo is a highly resilient young woman, safely breaking free from a binding spell (albeit a low-level one) and withstanding an assault from a large Hollow. Advanced Growth Rate: According to both Aizen and Urahara, Ichigo's most astounding ability is her growth rate; she grasps the basic control of advanced techniques in days where it would take several years for even the most gifted Shinigami. Shortly after gaining Shinigami powers and with no previous training, she began learning advanced spiritual energy sensing techniques by sheer instinct. While it takes most Shinigami at least 10 years to achieve Bankai, she did so in two days (albeit with the assistance of a special device invented by Urahara which was originally intended for three days). She gains considerable experience in the use of Shunpo while training with Yoruichi, which was done over the same period as her Bankai. Besides her improvements in her Shinigami abilities, Ichigo greatly increased the time she could maintain her Hollow mask, from eleven seconds to considerably longer amounts of time. During her first fight with Ulquiorra, she is instantly incapacitated by one Cero blast, even with her Hollow mask (which broke within a second), but only a few hours later, she withstands another Cero from Ulquiorra without undergoing Hollowfication, and can analyze Ulquiorra's movements much better than before, when he had "felt like he was fighting a machine or a statue" and failed to predict and counter her attacks. Keen Intellect: Despite her somewhat punkish attitude, Ichigo is analytical, perceptive, and deductive. In her high school, Ichigo's grades are almost always near the top, despite her work as a Substitute Shinigami. Aside from that, Ichigo can determine the pattern of her opponent's battle methods and form a proper counter-strategy to defeat her opponent's attacks. Immense Spiritual Power: Ichigo has been noted on several occasions to have tremendously vast levels of spiritual energy, well beyond most other Shinigami. Her spiritual power is noted to be heavy, which surprised Renji Abarai. Ichigo constantly gives off Reiatsu at the level of a captain. Even when worn-out in battle, she can continue fighting effectively while still using Getsuga Tenshō or unleashing and maintaining her Bankai. Even at less than half strength, her spiritual energy is comparable to a captain-level fighter. Her energy is strong enough to hold back the Sōkyoku, a halberd with the destructive force equivalent to one million Zanpakutō combined, using only her Zanpakutō. Even before her Dangai training, she could sense Aizen's increased Reiatsu as a result of his Second Fusion with the Hōgyoku while fighting Gin from a considerable distance away, despite her father, Urahara, and Yoruichi, all former Gotei 13 Captains, not being able to do so themselves while fighting him directly. Her Reiatsu is light-blue in color. :Novice Reiatsu Control: Ichigo's spiritual energy is rather difficult for her to control, as she has no formal training in controlling it, and upon Hollowfication, her Reiatsu fluctuates wildly, with it being unreadable at its lowest point and at its highest point greater than that of the fourth Espada Ulquiorra Cifer. Due to this, and her having far more spiritual energy than her body can consciously contain, it leaks out constantly, preventing her from hiding it and effectively making stealth impossible when dealing with other spiritually-aware beings. She has learned how to harden her spiritual energy and enhance the strength of her attacks, or use it as a barrier to reduce the impact of attacks on her, if not negating them completely. She possesses some skill in channeling her spiritual power, as she was able to destroy the Arbor of the Sōkyoku, a seemingly impossible feat which surprised the Gotei 13, by channeling her spiritual power through her sword into the execution stand. Spiritual Awareness: Since she was a child, Ichigo has had an innate ability to clearly see spiritual beings and sense their presence. After becoming a Shinigami, her senses have continued to improve with time, learning various advanced sensing techniques, such as using a spirit ribbon to find Yūichi Shibata (in bird form). Even from a considerable distance, she can detect the condition of a being with spiritual power. During her intense fight against Kenpachi Zaraki, she clearly sensed and recognized Sado's energy signature even as it weakened, despite the considerable distance between them. Shinigami Powers & Abilities Master Swordswoman: In terms of fighting style while in her Shinigami form, Ichigo relies mainly on swordplay. Aside from her initial training with Urahara, she is essentially on a "learn as you go" training regimen; thusly, her skill has developed by fighting rather than formal instruction, becoming even more capable with every fight. Her overall skill allows her to fight evenly against sword masters of Byakuya Kuchiki and Kenpachi Zaraki's caliber. While usually fighting right-handed, Ichigo appears to be ambidextrous, as she is proficient in wielding Zangetsu in her left hand. Shunpo Expert: Though not particularly versed in its various techniques, Ichigo is proficient enough in the technique itself to keep up with and even surprise high-level Shinigami with her speed. Byakuya Kuchiki, one of the most proficient users of Shunpo in Soul Society, complimented Ichigo's growing mastery of the technique. During her first demonstration of this skill, she knocked out three lieutenants and grabbed her Zanpakutō before any of them hit the ground. Enhanced Strength: When she is in her Shinigami body, Ichigo's already impressive strength is greatly enhanced. She has knocked out three Shinigami lieutenants with a single punch each, one of which shattered one of their Zanpakutō at the same time. Her strength is great enough to easily stop repeated axe blows from Jidanbō before shattering Jidanbō's axes in a single swing, and hurl Rukia a dozen meters into Renji's arms and send them both skidding several meters more, achieving both feats with a single hand. With a single kick, she can break down and launch a large chunk of a stone wall. After regaining her Shinigami powers, one swing from her Zanpakutō produced a shockwave powerful enough to overwhelm Kūgo Ginjō, making the Fullbringer mistake it for a Getsuga Tenshō. Immense Endurance: When in her Shinigami form, Ichigo's endurance is strengthened to the point where she can continue fighting effectively after receiving many injuries, and can survive attacks which would easily kill normal Humans. It was stated by Rukia a Shinigami's life force is their spiritual power. As such, Ichigo can withstand attacks which would be fatal to most Shinigami. Uryū once stated Ichigo was a monster in this regard, and Aizen commented on her ability to continue moving despite grave injuries. Enhanced Durability: Ichigo becomes much more durable in her Shinigami form. During her last fight with Kūgo Ginjō, she withstood a direct hit from the Getsuga Tenshō created by her opponent, and the damage was only done to one of her arms and part of her face. Zanpakuto Zangetsu (斬月, Slaying Moon): When Ichigo first becomes a Shinigami, her Zanpakutō was a standard-looking katana, but oversized, with an equally-oversized brown sheath hung by a strap across her back and over her right shoulder. It had a rectangular bronze tsuba with gently inward-curved edges, a stylized flame pattern on the long sides, and a simple decorative slit on the short sides. The hilt's handle had a red wrapping and two light blue tassels attached to the handle's base, which was decorated with a flame design on its short sides. The large size is due to the unfocused but immense amount of Ichigo's spiritual power, which she did not know how to control. As a result, the sword itself was rather weak, since very little spiritual power was used to create it. Nevertheless, it was powerful enough to subdue a Gillian-class Menos and lesser Hollows, completely blocking a Cero from the former. It could upturn the ground with a single strike. Because of the weak nature of its spiritual energy, Byakuya Kuchiki easily cut off most of the blade during his first encounter with Ichigo, and Kisuke Urahara subsequently sliced it down to the hilt during their training, forcing Ichigo to learn the name of her Zanpakutō in order to release its true form. This sword is a result of Rukia's deprived spiritual energy and not a result of Ichigo's own power. *'Shikai': The Shikai form of Zangetsu resembles an oversized khyber knife instead of a formal katana. It has no tsuba and no proper hilt; what Ichigo holds is the cloth-wrapped tang. The sword is about as tall as Ichigo is, and has a black blade with a silver edge. The cloth wrapping on the tang seems to react to Ichigo's will, changing length at a thought or twining about the blade in an impromptu sheath. When in combat, the cloth falls away when necessary, shrinking back to a manageable size. The cloth can be used to swing the weapon like a flail and to toss it at opponents for mid-range combat, as well as bandage wounds, but these are done rarely. Ichigo has, on more than one occasion, used Zangetsu's wide blade as a shield from incoming attacks, and for deflecting energy attacks. Unlike most Zanpakutō, which can be sealed into their original form, Zangetsu is always in its Shikai form. Yoruichi Shihōin has stated her Zanpakutō is a full-time released form type because of Ichigo's vast but uncontrollable spiritual energy upon generation of it, implying it is simply a type of Zanpakutō which, without proper control of her spiritual energy, remains in Shikai form once in said state. :After being influenced by the remaining traces of Ichigo's Fullbring, Zangetsu's appearance changes, giving the blade a silver hilt with gray wrappings, and a short length of chain at its base. The blade itself becomes slightly reshaped, curving inwards at the backside of the tip, similar to a trench knife. When stored away on Ichigo's back, the former cloth still materializes to act as an impromptu sheath. *'Bankai': Tensa Zangetsu (天鎖斬月, Heaven Chain Slaying Moon): Ichigo points her Zanpakutō in a straight direction, using either a single hand or both of her hands, with the cloth of her Shikai surrounding her arm and tightening during the activation. Her spiritual power surges, with the smoke obscuring her being. It is considered completely out of the ordinary for any Zanpakutō. Unlike most Bankai forms, which usually create some sort of massive creature or effect, Ichigo's Bankai shrinks her sword down to a daitō (Japanese long sword) with a black blade instead. The cross guard has four prongs bent out to form the shape of the manji (which is the kanji for "ban," meaning "full," as in "full release"). The blade itself can endure even the strongest of attacks, making it quite effective in blocking and deflecting incoming attacks. It can withstand getting crushed by force. The blade is strong and sharp enough to cut clean through Kūgo Ginjō's sword. Commenting on the blade's strength and durability, Gin Ichimaru claimed it felt like his was about to break from hitting it. Instead of the cloth her Shikai form had, a short length of chain with a broken link at the end dangles from the base of the hilt. In addition to her sword, Ichigo's robe is replaced with a long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat (or shihakushō) with red lining, which is closed at her chest and left to flare out into ragged ends, much like that of Zangetsu's. This coat is part of Ichigo's Bankai, and the damage it can take is directly proportionate to the remaining strength and level of Ichigo's Reiatsu. :After her training in the Dangai, Ichigo's Bankai takes on a slightly different appearance. While Zangetsu still takes the form of a daitō with a black blade, the four prongs on the cross guard extend out farther than they previously did. While still in the shape of the manji, the prongs become more abstract and slender in appearance. Ichigo's right hand becomes covered by a black glove, and the chain at the base of Zangetsu's hilt extends out further than it previously did, spiraling up the length of her sleeveless right arm, with the additional portion of the chain hanging down freely from her upper arm. :After being influenced by the remaining traces of Ichigo's Fullbring, the appearance of her Bankai changes. She wears a white undershirt beneath her black shihakushō, which is now open. Held together by three "x"-shaped marks, it ends in a number of coattails. Ichigo wears black gloves, with white "x"-shaped marks appear on both the gloves and her forearms. Tensa Zangetsu's blade is much longer (roughly the length of his Shikai), and becomes more curved as it nears the tip, with three protrusions along the blunt end of the sword close to its tip. While retaining its manji-like shape, the tsuba becomes more curved and jagged. Tensa Zangetsu's chain is now longer, attaching to both the base of the sword's hilt and to Ichigo's glove, forming a wide loop. :Bankai Special Ability: Tensa Zangetsu, much like its Shikai form, is used heavily for melee combat, but also possesses a certain special ability. :*'Hyper-Speed Combat': Ichigo takes all the power of her Bankai, compresses it into a small, condensed form, and uses the power of the Bankai to perform high-speed combat. Her new speed enhances her Shunpo prowess, allowing her to create dozens of afterimages to confuse her opponent. :*'Enhanced Strength': Ichigo's Bankai further enhances her naturally great strength. She effortlessly blocked a punch from Yammy Llargo, an Espada known primarily for his immense strength, and cut through his Hierro with relative ease. The sudden boost in strength upon releasing allows Ichigo to break free from any attack which binds her or prevents her from moving. After her training in the Dangai, Ichigo's strength drastically increases to the point where a single swing of her sword can level a mountain. She can grab Aizen's Zanpakutō blade with her bare hand without feeling any of the exerted force, though said force could do considerable damage to the surrounding area. She can effortlessly break through Hadō 90. Kurohitsugi, with full incantation, with just her bare hand. After her Shinigami powers are restored, Ichigo can catch a massive blast produced by Kūgo Ginjō's Bankai one-handed and crush it. With only a swing of her sword, she can create a huge shock wave. :*'Enhanced Getsuga Tenshō': Tensa Zangetsu retains the use of Getsuga Tenshō and can be used in the same ways, but in an enhanced form. When used in Bankai, these potent blasts are black with a red outline, their path can be controlled, and they possess explosively augmented power and speed. During Byakuya Kuchiki's fight with Ichigo, he refers to this attack as a "Kuroi Getsuga" (黒い月牙, "Black Moon Fang"), referring to the attack's darkened color. Ichigo has stated the Black Getsuga was originally Hollow Ichigo's technique, which has been proven, as Ichigo had no knowledge of it during his fight with Byakuya Kuchiki, and Hollow Ichigo stated all Ichigo was doing when she used the technique was copying her inner Hollow. Ichigo can keep Getsuga Tenshō within Tensa Zangetsu to augment her sword swings, or fire it from the tip of the blade as if it were a bullet. :*'Enhanced Spiritual Power': Her already vast spiritual energy increases grandly and explosively. Her Reiatsu is so intense and rough, as well as thick and heavy, it can suffocate Humans who are in the general vicinity of her released Bankai. Ichigo's Reiatsu is solid in her Bankai. Initially, when she activated her Bankai, she produced a white aura which shot high into the sky. Ever since Ichigo defeated her inner Hollow and affirmed her place as a Visored, she produces a deep black spiritual energy with a crimson outline, which emanates off of Ichigo's body when her spiritual pressure is exerted, replacing her white aura. After her training in the Dangai, Ichigo's ability to sense Reiatsu has increased greatly, as she can now sense her sisters blocks away through various buildings and determine their current status. According to Sōsuke Aizen, by achieving evolution into a dimension separate from Shinigami, both Shinigami and Humans have become unable to feel her Reiatsu unless she voluntarily lowers her level and allows them to interfere, in the same way a two-dimensional being is unable to interfere with a three-dimensional being. In this same way, he surmises Ichigo is standing in a dimension even higher than the one he is in. After Ichigo regains her Shinigami powers for the second time, her Bankai activation reverts back to the way it used to be, shooting a white aura high into the sky. The released energy can break apart Yukio's chatroom, which is said to be indestructible. While in Bankai, Ichigo's Reiatsu turns black, with a blue outline. :*'Enhanced Bankai Duration': Since all of her energy is "compressed", usage of her Bankai does not expel as much spiritual power as other Bankai from the point of activation, allowing her to use Tensa Zangetsu for a much longer duration than any other Bankai users of his level. From her final encounter with Grimmjow in Hueco Mundo until Aizen's defeat, Ichigo continuously stayed in her Bankai state for three months. :*'Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō' (最後の月牙天衝, The Final Moon Fang Sheaven-Piercer): By using this technique, Ichigo becomes Getsuga (月牙, Moon Fang) itself. It is referred to as the Final Getsuga Tenshō because if Ichigo uses it, she loses all of her Shinigami powers. For the duration of the ability, Ichigo's hair becomes waist-length and turns black. Light bluish-gray bandages form around her body, tightly wrapped around her torso, right arm, and face, ending just beneath her eyes. Black flame-like markings spread across her chest and wrap around her left arm, and the remains of a tattered black cloak cover her lower body. In this form, Ichigo's body constantly emits smoky black Reiatsu, most of which is focused around her right arm. Being in this form allows Ichigo to use Mugetsu. Once it is used, the transformation dissipates. She will lose consciousness, accompanied by intense pain, with the loss of her Shinigami powers following. Any remaining Reiatsu stabilizes, and she will awaken sometime later (roughly a month), followed shortly by the loss of her remaining Reiryoku. When Ichigo lost her Reiatsu, a tiny portion of it accumulated in a single location inside of her over time, and she began to regain it slightly after a year and a half. While using this technique, Ichigo's Reiatsu turns completely black. :::Mugetsu (無月, Moonless Sky): Generating a blade of deep black spiritual energy in his hand, Ichigo swings it at the target. Doing so causes a massive veil of black spiritual energy to erupt upwards and approach the target, darkening the sky and heavily damaging anything caught within the blast. The energy continues to rise, dissipating into the sky. Fullbring Initially, Ichigo's Fullbring powers focused on changing the form of her Substitute Shinigami Badge. By recalling the memories of her pride as a Shinigami, Ichigo causes the badge to release black Reiatsu in the shape of the tsuba of Tensa Zangetsu. Like a tsuba, the weapon is used primarily for defense, particularly to block attacks. It can absorb most of the impact from a much larger opponent's attack. Like a real tsuba, it has no cutting power, and if Ichigo releases her hold on the badge, the Reiatsu dissipates. Later, her Fullbring powers evolve so they change her appearance, covering her whole body in a black Reiatsu, and produce a dark blade, forming over her arm. Her abilities are classified as a Clad-Type Fullbring because Ichigo is shrouded in her own power, which resembles a Shihakushō, much like her former Bankai. After Ichigo's Fullbring is completed, it transforms into a solid outfit. It becomes a white armor covering her chest, arms, shoulders, and feet, with a stripe running across her face. Underneath this, she wears a completely black bodysuit. The badge grows a medium-sized, black, machete-like blade, with a silver edge, round hilt, simple white cloth-wrapping, and flat base. The badge itself becomes the guard, with a new black cross marking on it. It is hung across Ichigo's back in a white sheath. *'Energy Blast': Using her incomplete Fullbring, Ichigo can unleash spinning, propeller-like blasts of black spiritual energy, outlined in red. Ichigo compares the feeling of using these blasts to that of using Getsuga Tenshō. By charging up the attack, the tsuba becomes bigger and more jagged, with six bars, before launching a larger blast. The attack is flawed, due to its inconsistent power. Its power is determined by the number of blades in it, six being the maximum. If fired in succession, the number of blades decrease, with the attack becoming more fragile with each one it loses. If the attack has anything less than three blades, it can be shattered with ease. Ichigo and Jackie Tristan both conclude if she fires three shots in a row, she leaves herself wide open to attack. With her completed Fullbring, Ichigo can produce the Reiatsu tsuba from her sword's guard-badge and fire a barrage of these blades with a single swing, with each one apparently retaining full power, as none lose any blades. Similar to Getsuga Tenshō, Ichigo can keep the energy of her attacks in her sword to augment her sword swings. :*'Getsuga Tenshō': In her completed Fullbring form, Ichigo can fire off a blue wave of energy from her blade. Though the attack is not as large or powerful as it is with her Shinigami powers, Tsukishima notes how fast it moves, and it can still cause some considerable damage. *'Enhanced Speed': Through Fullbring, Ichigo can move far more quickly than usual, at one point catching Jackie Tristan off guard by vanishing and appearing behind her with a kick readied. Ichigo's feet emit a flickering Bringer Light, which indicates she is preparing for her next high-speed movement. Jackie Tristan notes the presence of Bringer Light indicates Ichigo is beginning to master Fullbring. Ichigo can draw on the souls of concrete and solid air in order to propel herself higher and at faster speeds. With her complete Fullbring unleashed, Ichigo's speed is enhanced even further, as she got behind Tsukishima and sliced off his left arm before he could even attack her. Similar to her Bankai, Ichigo's speed is great enough to produce dozens of afterimages to confuse her enemy. By focusing the power into a single leg, Ichigo can launch a much faster kick with much greater impact. *'Enhanced Strength': In her complete Fullbring form, Ichigo's strength is greatly enhanced. With a single hand, and from an angle with no leverage, Ichigo caught a direct punch from Sado's fully transformed Brazo Derecha de Gigante unfazed. With a single kick, she can launch her opponent several meters with considerable force. Hollowfication Hollow Mask: Ichigo's Hollow mask has the appearance of what could best be described as a menacing skull. The mask is white, and originally had only three red stripes on the left side, which have since increased in number. The stripes change in thickness after he subjugates her inner Hollow. It eventually covers almost the entirety of the mask's left half during her third battle with Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. While pure white on the right side, the mask possesses a total of ten red stripes spread across three spots on the left side of her mask. Because Ichigo's inner Hollow took a new form while facing Ulquiorra Cifer, Ichigo's mask has changed again. Where her mask once had a series of thick red stripes which covered almost the entire left half of her mask, there are now only two thick vertical black stripes, each on one half of the mask, which are interrupted by the widened eye-holes and the jaw. The Hollow mask was originally a sign of Ichigo's possession by her inner Hollow, but after her training with the Visored, it merely indicates she is utilizing her Hollow powers. To access her inner Hollow's power, Ichigo must summon the mask onto her face. She normally does this by placing one of her hands over her face and concentrating spiritual matter on it in order to manifest the mask (previously, it had appeared on its own before she mastered the Hollow within her), summoning the mask in a "ripping" fashion. With the mask in place, Ichigo's eyes irises become yellow, and he has black sclera and pupils. Her voice has a slight Hollow echo to it. With the mask, he gains access to increased physical enhancements. Strangely, though most of the other Visored have been able to shift the position of the mask while apparently still retaining the abilities of their Hollowfied state, as well as using general Hollow abilities, Ichigo has never done either. :Power Augmentation: While wearing the mask, Ichigo's Hollow powers supplement her Shinigami powers, giving her a vast increase in both strength and speed. :*'Augmented Getsuga Tenshō': When Ichigo wears her mask, the power, speed, blast area, force, and size of the Getsuga Tenshō becomes drastically augmented, to the point of seriously harming a foe. When used with her Bankai and Hollow mask in combination, her Getsuga Tenshō is stated to be her ultimate attack. Ichigo's tremendous speed lets her to move faster than the Getsuga Tenshō itself, allowing her to fire multiple blasts from different directions. Ulquiorra Cifer believes the Getsuga Tenshō is Ichigo's strongest attack, comparing it to a Hollow's Cero, particularly a Cero Oscuras. The black Getsuga Tenshō was first displayed by Ichigo's inner Hollow, and initially carried the risk of causing her inner Hollow to surface if used too much. With Ichigo's later control over her inner Hollow, this is no longer a problem. With the use of her new mask, she can fire a Getsuga Tenshō powerful enough to send Yammy Llargo falling down head first while he was in his much larger and stronger Resurrección state and cut a high-rise building in half. :*'Enhanced Spiritual Power': While wearing the mask, Ichigo's spiritual power increases drastically. Upon witnessing her enormous Reiatsu, one of the Privaron Espada, Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio, described it as amazing. The 4th Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer, stated her Reiatsu was higher than his own (though he also stated it was fluctuating). During Ichigo's fight with Grimmjow, the 3rd Espada, Tier Harribel, noted that the volume, concentration, and catastrophic nature of her Reiatsu did not seem like that of a Human, but more like that of an Espada. Even Sōsuke Aizen complimented her Reiatsu, stating she had grown. It has been noted multiple times that with the mask on, her spiritual energy changes into something similar to that of a Hollow. Ichigo can use the combined Reiatsu released in her Bankai activation and Hollowfication to launch herself in the air. :*'Enhanced Strength': While using the Hollow mask, Ichigo gains a substantial increase in strength. In her second fight with Grimmjow, she overpowered Grimmjow's Cero. In her third fight with Grimmjow, she blocked the destructive force of an Espada's strongest Cero, the Gran Rey Cero, fired by Grimmjow. After she unleashed her Hollowfication in her battle with Ulquiorra, she slightly broke her sword with a single slash. She effortlessly blocked a Cero fired by Ulquiorra. :*'Enhanced Speed': While wearing her mask, Ichigo's already formidable speed is greatly enhanced. During her second battle against Grimmjow, Ichigo's speed completely overwhelmed the Espada, who was unable to follow Ichigo's movement, and forced him completely on the defensive with her barrage of attacks. Her attacks become so fast the opponent cannot even perceive them until after they are hit. She becomes fast enough to outrun her own Getsuga Tenshō, allowing her to strike and enhance them, or launch simultaneous attacks at the opponent from different angles. :*'Enhanced Durability': Her durability is increased greatly. During her third fight with Grimmjow, she is thrown through various buildings and obstructions and emerges unharmed. Ichigo shielded Orihime from a barrage of Grimmjow's dart bullets, which have enough destructive force to destroy a large building. *'Mask Regeneration': If Ichigo has enough spiritual power, she can repair small amounts of damage inflicted upon her mask. This is displayed during her third fight with Grimmjow, and during her most recent fight with Ulquiorra. *'Hollow Combat': When Ichigo fights with her mask on, her fighting style becomes more instinctive than practiced. The Hollow mask makes Ichigo more ruthless, akin to the battle style of Hollow Ichigo. Throughout the duration of the Hollowfication, Ichigo displays less concern for injuries to her person, even ignoring grievous wounds to continue fighting. Ulquiorra Cifer stated Ichigo in this form resembles an Arrancar, and her movements are similar to theirs. *'Increased Mask Duration': After subjugating her inner Hollow, Ichigo can use her Hollow mask while retaining her personality but could originally only wear it for four seconds at a time. After training with the Visored, the limit increases to eleven seconds. Her time limit and Hollow powers greatly increase during her third battle with Grimmjow. The reasons behind Ichigo now being capable of fighting entire battles with her mask currently remain unknown. Grimmjow speculated Ichigo's improvements came from a subconscious need. It is unknown if the time limit of her new mask has changed, though the mask began deteriorating immediately after she fired a Getsuga Tenshō at Sōsuke Aizen with it on. Once she gained resolve to fight Aizen, the mask was used much longer, but began dispersing again once she lost her composure. *'Mask Re-Summon': She can call her mask out a second time after it shatters. When used for the first time, the mask immediately broke apart. Later, this is no longer a problem. In her first fight with Ulquiorra, though unseen, it was used to help defend against Ulquiorra's Cero, and again during her most recent confrontation with him, after he enters his released form. Once Ichigo's mask changed in her battle with Yammy Llargo, she noticed her mask felt different, as if it was heavier, and she was unable to re-summon it for a brief period of time. Tensa Zangetsu states the oddities of the new mask come from Ichigo's fear of the Hollow form she took to defeat Ulquiorra, where her sanity was overwhelmed by its power, and she cannot Hollowify properly. :Merged Hollow Form: After Ichigo learned the truth about the source of her Shinigami powers and reforged her Zanpakutō, her Hollow and Quincy came into balance with one another; however, should Ichigo's inner Hollow be woken by large amounts of Quincy Reiatsu, this balance will be disrupted, and Ichigo can meld with her inner Hollow, resulting in a powerful transformation. In this form, the left side of Ichigo's face and neck change to resemble the form her inner Hollow took on while fighting Ulquiorra Cifer, as well as her former Hollowfication; her left eye inverts in color with a black sclera and yellow pupil, she has dark marks running down her face and along her neck, and she gains a long, forward-pointing horn on the left side of her head. While in this form, the larger blade of Zangetsu turns white. ::Power Augmentation: As with her Hollow mask, Ichigo's merged Hollow form drastically increases her combat capabilities and overall power. ::*'Enhanced Speed': While in this form, Ichigo's speed is noticeably enhanced; after entering it behind the protection of Orihime's Santen Kesshun, Ichigo near-instantaneously moved in front of the barrier and a considerable distance away from Orihime, who was unable to fathom how quickly she had gotten there. ::*'Enhanced Strength': She has enhanced strength. ::*'Enhanced Spiritual Power': Her spiritual Power is enhanced. Navigation Category:Bleach/Characters